Snapped a 3/4 cable right over I-95 in Philly last Tuesday

Was picking a steel beam for the new bridge deck near Center City when my main hoist cable just let go. No warning, no birdsnesting, just a clean snap around the drum. Had to set the load down on the flatbed quick and call the shop for a spare rig. How often do you guys swap out your cables on older Manitowocs before they fail like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

willow_martin19d ago

Oh man, "just let go" is putting it mildly, I bet your heart skipped a few beats when that happened. That's the kind of thing that makes you want to inspect every inch of every line on the job site, especially on an older girl like that Manitowoc. I always say cables are like a bad relationship, they'll act fine right up until the moment they decide to leave you. Unless you're religious about logging every hour of use and checking for those tiny broken wires, you're basically gambling each time you lift. Maybe the real trick is to swap them out on a schedule that's way before they start looking tired, like changing the oil in your truck before it starts knocking. I'd rather eat the cost of a new cable than explain to the foreman why a steel beam is taking a shortcut through the I-95 traffic.

dakota_taylor3919d ago

Did you end up finding any hidden damage on the other cables after that close call? That kind of scare sticks with you for a while.